The 2016 – 2017 season at Heriot-Watt came to an end yesterday (Tuesday) evening when the Under-20 side was well beaten by the new champion side, East Kilbride.

A 5 – 1 defeat, however, was no disgrace in the circumstances. Against quality opponents with a full squad of eighteen players – including, as an over-age player, Ross McNeil, striker from the EK side which won the Lowland League, a tattered Watt party short of Aidan Quinn and Matthew Law from even the thin squad of Friday evening put up a spirited display and at half-time was holding its illustrious opponents at 1 – 1 after Jackson Barker‘s fine goal. Indeed, the score at the break could have been even better had the Watt managed to convert either of the close things created in the last few minutes of the first half.

It must be confessed that when EK stepped up the pace early in the second half, Watt struggled to cope and it was in this period that the match was won and lost, the home side scoring four times without reply. To their great credit, however, Watt then steadied, began passing well again and finished the game without further loss.

The result means that the Watt sides finished fourth in both the East of Scotland League and the Lowland and East of Scotland Under-20 Development League – a vast improvement on last season. The Amateurs coped adequately with the rigours of LEAFA Lothian East Division and finished seventh.

Remarkable though it may seem, preparations have already begun for next season. Head Coach Banji Koya is working on a pre-season programme of training and matches and has canvassed players to maximise attendance so that the club can hit the ground running when fixtures start in earnest. Also, above this post, you will see a request for new students to get in touch so that we can involve as many as possible at an early stage in the preparations. We’ll all have a well-earned break now, but it’s important that players remember their fitness over the summer and continue to pursue a suitable diet. Enjoy your holidays, keep active and consume sensibly!